Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquiao looks ON
-Money Man Confirms 2 May 2015 Date
- Floyd Mayweather looks set to finally fight Manny Pacquiao
- The Money Man said it would 'absolutely' happen on May 2
- Talks behind the scenes over Mayweather and Pacquiao's purse split
- Amir Khan looks set to miss out on a mega fight with Mayweather
Daily Mail UK, 14 December 2014
Floyd Mayweather Jnr has named May 2 as the date for his shotgun wedding with Manny Pacquiao.
Speculation that the richest fight in boxing history is close to being made has been rife since the Pacman put on an impressive performance to defeat Chris Algieri in Macau two weeks ago.
Now Mayweather, put under pressure by one of his promotion companies' events, said:
'Will I fight Pacquiao? Absolutely.'
Floyd Mayweather's has confirmed that he will fight with Manny Pacquiao in 2015
Pacquiao (right) called out Mayweather to fight him after beating Chris Algieri in November
Mayweather says Pacquiao's promoter Bob Arum has been preventing the fight from happening
Mayweather: I'll fight Pacquiao on May 2nd...
When asked if it would be his next fight he replied: 'absolutely.'
Pressed as to when that would be he confirmed the expected date for his next appearance, saying: 'May 2, absolutely'.
The undefeated holder of the mythical title of the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world went on:
'The public want this fight. I want it. the only stumbling block has been Bob Arum (Pacquiao's promoter) but I think both fighters want it. So it's time to get it on.'
Mayweather admitted for the first time that negotiations are underway 'behind the scenes', adding:
'I'm not ducking anyone, so let's get this on.
'Years ago we had problems with random blood and urine testing. I just want to have an even playing field.
'Now he's in a very, very tight situation with his loss to (Juan Manuel) Marquez and his loss to (Timothy) Bradley. His pay-per-view numbers are extremely low, so he's desperate. I wanted that fight a long time ago.'
Floyd Mayweather uploads clips of Manny Pacquiao being knocked down...
The news comes as a blow for Amir Khan (left) who beat Devon Alexander in Las Vegas on Saturday
For the man who calls himself Money, most of the discussions centre around the split of the biggest purse of all time.
It is estimated that the fight will gross a minimum $300million. Pacquiao has agreed to take the thin end of the 60-40 split, although there are suggestions that Mayweather may demand an even higher percentage if an agreement is to be finalised.
If Arum can pioneer pay-per-view in his new market, China, the revenue could rise to so far as to make this a billion dollar fight.
It is probable that Mayweather will insist on fighting in his adopted hometown of Las Vegas as usual. But Arum has been proposing the erection of a pop-up stadium in the famous Strip with a 50,000 capacity, more than double that of any existing arena in Sin City.
If Mayweather is indeed signalling the advent of the biggest fight of all time it will come as a disappointment for our own Amir Khan, who was hoping that his outstanding performance and victory here in Vegas on Saturday night over Devon Alexander would seal his own long-awaited super-fight with Mayweather.
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TIMELINE
December 5, 2009: ESPN report Pacquiao has signed a contract to fight Mayweather which the Filipino later denies.
December 11: Yahoo report an eight-page contract was sent to Pacquiao with a proposed date of March 13, 2010.
December 22: Golden Boy claim Pacquiao is unwilling to agree to Olympic-style drug testing.
December 30: Pacquiao sues Mayweather, alleging him of making defamatory statements regarding performance-enhancing drugs.
July 13, 2010: Arum gives Mayweather a week to sign the contract for the fight.
July 19: Mayweather's adviser Al Haymon denies negotiations have ever taken place.
January 20, 2012: EPSN reports that Mayweather spoke to Pacquiao on the phone and offered him $40m but Pacquiao demanded a 55/45 split in Mayweather's favour.
September 25: Mayweather and Pacquiao reach a settlement in their defamation case.
December 20, 2013: Mayweather says the fight will never happen while Pacquiao is promoted by Bob Arum.
January, 2014: Pacquiao challenges Mayweather to fight him but to donate all proceeds to charity.
November 22: Pacquiao beats Algieri and tells Mayweather: 'The fans deserve the fight, I think it's time to make it happen'.
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Mayweather: I'll Fight Pacquiao on May 2nd
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